Staff Reporter
OUT of the 5,000 hectares (ha) required for agricultural production for the Neckartal Irrigation Project, only 3,800 ha have been acquired to date.
“Efforts are being made to secure the remaining 1,200 ha. The Ministry is at an advanced stage in procuring the services of technical experts for the construction of the irrigation systems at farm level, and we envisage having these consultants on board as of next year,” the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein, said.
He shared these updates during the official opening of the Keetmanshoop Agricultural, Industrial and Tourism Expo on Tuesday, where he discussed the project’s progress.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform has therefore undertaken the development of the Neckartal Irrigation Project in two phases, with a combined total of 5,000 hectares of irrigable land. The development of Phase 1 of the Neckartal Irrigation Project utilises a gravity-fed system by tapping water from the newly constructed nearby balancing dam, which has a capacity of 90,000 m³. The balancing dam is fed from the Neckartal dam via a 1,000 mm diameter pipe using a pumping system,” he explained.
Schlettwein revealed that the balancing dam was constructed as a second-phase development of the Naute dam scheme, and the pipe network connecting the balancing dam to the Neckartal dam has already been completed.
“The Phase 1 development of the Neckartal Irrigation Project is to take place mainly on the farms surrounding the balancing dam, which covers a combined area of approximately 10,064 ha, of which 2,000 ha is earmarked for irrigation development. These farms are classified into two categories, namely Category A: farms earmarked for irrigation development that have been acquired and transferred to the Government, and Category B: farms earmarked for irrigation development that have not yet been acquired and transferred to the Government,” the Minister explained.
He revealed that the Neckartal Irrigation Scheme alone is expected to create around 11,000 jobs, leading to an increase in Keetmanshoop’s population and a subsequent need for enhanced infrastructure.
“Using a factor of three for family size, the total number of people moving to the project may be around 33,000. This means that the town of Keetmanshoop will double in size, which in turn will oblige us and the Municipality to ensure that all the required infrastructure is in place to absorb the influx of people. We need housing, schools, clinics and hospitals, road infrastructure, bulk water and distribution infrastructure, and power supply, to name a few. Therefore, we now need to start with the town planning and budgeting for this significant capital expense,” Schlettwein added.
